Faucet with integral air dryer

ABSTRACT

A faucet includes a faucet body that includes a faucet outlet for dispensing at least one of a water stream and an air stream. The faucet includes an air blower that has an air blower outlet and a junction valve. The junction valve includes a first inlet that is connected to a water source and a second inlet that is connected to the air blower outlet. The junction valve also includes a junction valve outlet that is connected to the faucet outlet. The faucet includes a controller connected to the junction valve. The controller is configured to control the junction valve so that at least one of the air stream or the water stream is provided from the junction valve outlet to the faucet outlet based on a user input.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/697,630, filed on Jul. 13, 2018, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Faucets can be found in many different rooms of a building, includingbathrooms and kitchens. Paired with faucets are usually particular typesof drying mechanisms such as a towel or paper products so that the usercan dry their hands and/or items presented under the faucet, such asdishes or food. In the particular example of a kitchen faucet, oftendishes and/or food is cleaned off under the faucet and then eitherloaded into a dishwasher, hand dried with a towel or paper towels, orleft to air dry. In some examples, such as with fruits and vegetables,paper towels and/or a separate appliances are used (e.g., a saladspinner) to dry such items. Hand drying can be time consuming and theuser risks either damaging the food or breaking the dish (i.e., softfruit or fragile crystal). Air drying (i.e., leaving food or dishes inopen, generally still air and allowing evaporation to occur) is timeconsuming and not practical for food preparation and may produce waterspots on dishes. Finally, if a dishwasher is used for dishes, not alldishes are dishwasher safe, thereby forcing the user to choose to eitherhand dry or air dry the item. Thus, convenient and practicalimprovements in drying technology is needed.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates generally to a faucet. In one possibleconfiguration, and by non-limiting example, the faucet has a faucetoutlet that selectively provides either a water stream or an air streambased on a user input.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a faucet is disclosed. Thefaucet includes a faucet body that includes a faucet outlet fordispensing at least one of a water stream and an air stream. The faucetincludes an air blower that has an air blower outlet and a junctionvalve. The junction valve includes a first inlet that is connected to awater source and a second inlet that is connected to the air bloweroutlet. The junction value also includes a junction valve outlet that isconnected to the faucet outlet. The faucet includes a controllerconnected to the junction valve. The controller is configured to controlthe junction valve so that at least one of the air stream or the waterstream is provided from the junction valve outlet to the faucet outletbased on a user input.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating afaucet is disclosed. The method includes receiving a user input at auser input device. The method includes providing a junction valve thathas an output in fluid communication with a faucet outlet of a faucet.The junction valve includes a first inlet in communication with a watersource and a second inlet in communication with an air source. Themethod includes operating the junction valve so that at least one of awater stream from the first inlet of the junction valve or an air streamfrom the second inlet to the junction valve is provided to the junctionvalve outlet based on the user input received at the user input device.The method includes delivering fluid from the junction valve outlet tothe faucet outlet.

In a still further aspect, a retrofit kit for a faucet is disclosed. Theretrofit kit includes an air blower having an air blower outlet, and ajunction valve. The junction valve includes a first inlet adapted to befluidically connected to a water source, a second inlet adapted to befluidically connected to the air blower outlet, and a junction valveoutlet fluidically connectable to a faucet outlet via a single conduitthrough a faucet body of the faucet. The retrofit kit further includes acontroller configured to control the junction valve so that at least oneof the air stream or the water stream is provided from the junctionvalve outlet to the faucet outlet via the single conduit based on a userinput received by the controller.

A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the descriptionthat follows. The aspects can relate to individual features and tocombinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoinggeneral description and the following detailed description are exemplaryand explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventiveconcepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings are illustrative of particular embodiments of thepresent disclosure and therefore do not limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. The drawings are not to scale and are intended for use inconjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description.Embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denotelike elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a faucet, according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of an auxiliary faucet, according toone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of an auxiliary faucet, according toa further embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts andassemblies throughout the several views. Reference to variousembodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto.Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are notintended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possibleembodiments for the appended claims.

The present disclosure relates to a faucet with an integral air blowerthat can be conveniently activated by the user. In some examples, thefaucet can be maneuverable so that the user can hold a dish, food item,or the like with one hand, and operate and maneuver the faucet outletwith the other so as to either selectively present a water stream or anair stream to the item. This allows the user to easily and quickly dryall sides of the item without having to set the item down to activatethe air stream. In some examples, the user can provide a user input,such as pressing the button, and the faucet output can expel air only.

FIG. 1 shows a faucet 100 including a faucet body 102 having a faucetoutlet 104. The faucet 100 is also shown to be connected to a watersource 106 and an air blower 108. The faucet 100 further includes ajunction valve 110 and a controller 112.

The faucet 100 is operable so that the user can selectively choosewhether a water stream or an air stream is output from the faucet outlet104. This allows the user to use blown air to dry a variety of itemsadjacent the faucet 100. In one example, the user can go from rinsing anitem with water expelled from the faucet outlet 104 and then goimmediately to air drying the item with an air stream provided by thefaucet outlet 104 after a user input is provided.

Although this disclosure will be discussed with regard to a kitchenfaucet for purposes of example, the system described herein could beimplemented in any type of faucet, including bathroom faucets, whetherthe faucet has a single handle or two handles. Although the faucet 100can be a pull-down kitchen faucet, this disclosure encompasses othertypes of faucets, including but not limited to, pull-out faucets.

The user can toggle whether water or air is output from the faucetoutlet via a user input device 101, such as a button. The button 101 maybe, for example, electrically connected to the controller 112, discussedbelow, which coordinates water or air output. In some examples, thefaucet 100 can be equipped to operate upon receipt of voice commands,gestures, or the like so that switching between water and air output viathe faucet outlet 104 can be easily toggled by the user. In someexamples, the user can also select the temperature and volume of the airstream (e.g., hot/cold and high/low flow rate) at the faucet outlet 104,much like a water stream on a traditional faucet. In such examples, theuser input device 101 may include, e.g., a dial or other mechanism foradjusting between hot and cold air streams. Air stream temperaturecontrol can be useful to the user depending on the object that isintroduced to the air stream. For example, a hot air stream can be usedto dry dishes, while a cold air stream can be used to dry food such asfruit or vegetables.

In some examples, the faucet body 102 can include a faucet handle 114and a detachable faucet head 116 at which the faucet outlet 104terminates. The handle 114 can be used to control at least the volumeand temperature of a water stream and/or an air stream delivered via thefaucet outlet 104. The faucet head 116 can be detached or undocked fromthe faucet body 102 to allow for maneuverability by the user so as toaim the faucet outlet 104. The faucet body 102 can have a variety ofdifferent shapes and sizes to provide a variety of differentappearances. In some cases, the faucet 100 could be manually adjustedelectronically (e.g., over an electrical wire), such as using ahands-free sensor, touch activation, buttons, voice and/or speechcontrol, or other interface. In the example shown, the faucet head 116has a further control button 117 for turning on and off a supply throughthe faucet outlet. Accordingly, through use of control button 117 anduser input device 101, a user may select whether to output air or waterstreams, and may turn on/off the selected stream.

It is noted that, in the case of retrofit installations, a faucet head116 may not include two different controls, such as the user inputdevice 101 and control button 117. In such circumstances, the user inputdevice that is present on the faucet head may be used to trigger outputof a currently selected air or water stream that is selected via aseparate switch (not shown) communicatively connected to the controller(e.g., either at or below a counter level).

In example embodiments, the faucet 100 can also be electronicallycontrolled. The terms “voice control” and “voice recognition” are usedinterchangeably to mean broadly a feature of the faucet for identifyinga user based on a user's spoken words. With respect to voicerecognition, for example, the faucet 100 could have user-based presetsfor water temperature, water flow, water volume, air temperature, airflow, air volume, filtering, and/or other faucet controls based on anidentification of the user using voice recognition.

The faucet outlet 104 is a pathway disposed at least partially withinthe faucet body 102. In some examples, the faucet outlet 104 can be asealed hose within the faucet body 102. In other examples, the faucetoutlet 104 is a pipe. In other examples, the faucet outlet 104 isdefined by the faucet body 102.

The water source 106 can be any of a variety of water sources (e.g.,municipal water, well water, water tank, etc.) so as to supply water tothe faucet 100. As is typical, water supply inlet hoses 120 can includetwo or more hoses, and may supply cold and hot water to be selectivelyreleased from the faucet outlet 104. In some examples, the faucet 100can include a mixing valve 122 that is configured to mix incoming waterfrom the water source 106 to provide a water flow of a user-selectedtemperature to be released from the faucet outlet 104. The water source106 is in communication with a first inlet 124 of the junction valve110. In some examples, the water source 106 first passes through themixing valve 122 prior to entering the first inlet 124 of the junctionvalve 110.

The air blower 108 can be positioned under the sink/counter toselectively provide air to the faucet 100 for output at the faucetoutlet 104. In some examples, the air blower 108 is located remotelyfrom the faucet 100 but is plumbed to be in fluid communication with atleast a portion of the faucet 100. In some examples, the air blower 108is an air compressor. In other examples, the air blower 108 includes afan and a motor so as to selectively provide blown air, and optionally aheater element for selectively providing a warm air stream rather than aroom temperature air stream. The air blower 108 includes an air bloweroutlet 125 in communication with a second inlet 126 of the junctionvalve 110. In the depicted example, the air blower 108 is also incommunication, via a blower signal line 128, with the controller 112 toallow the controller 112 to control the operation of (e.g., on/off,temperature, and/or flow rate) of the air blower. In some examples, theair blower 108 is powered by the controller 112 via the blower signalline 128. In some examples, the air blower 108 includes a heating and/orcooling element (not shown) to selectively provide hot or cold air tothe junction valve 110 based on a control signal from the controller112.

The junction valve 110 delivers either an air stream or a water streamfrom the air blower 108 and water source 106, respectively, to thefaucet outlet 104. In some examples, the junction valve 110 is mountedbelow the sink/countertop and out of sight of the user. The junctionvalve 110 includes a junction valve outlet 130, the first inlet 124, andthe second inlet 126. The junction valve outlet 130 is in fluidcommunication with the faucet outlet 104. The first inlet 124 is incommunication with the water source 106 (e.g., via mixing valve 122)while the second inlet 126 is in communication with the air blower 108.In some examples, the junction valve 110 can have an internalconfiguration that allows the junction valve 110 to alter which fluid,received at the first and second inlets 124, 126 (i.e., water or air),is delivered to the junction valve outlet 130. In some examples,operation of the junction valve 110 is controlled via the controller112.

Although in the embodiment shown the junction valve 110 is fluidicallyconnected to the outlet 104 for selective delivery of water or air viathe junction valve outlet 130, in alternative embodiments, separateoutlets may be provided extending from the junction valve 110 that leadto the outlet 104. As such, water and/or air may be concurrentlyprovided using the handle 114. However, such arrangements may requirereplacement of the entire faucet since two conduits are required withinthe faucet body 102, and are not amenable to accommodating retrofitinstallations into existing faucets which typically include a singleconduit to the faucet outlet 104.

The controller 112 is configured to control the junction valve 110 so asselectively deliver either water or air to the faucet outlet 104 basedon a user input received at the user input device 101. In some examples,the controller 112 is operable to execute a plurality of softwareinstructions that, when executed by the controller 112, cause the faucet100 to implement the methods and otherwise operate and havefunctionality as described herein. The controller 112 may comprise adevice commonly referred to as a microprocessor, central processing unit(CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), or other similar device and maybe embodied as a standalone unit or as a device shared with componentsof the faucet 100. The controller 112 may include memory for storing thesoftware instructions, or the faucet 100 may further comprise a separatememory device for storing the software instructions that is electricallyconnected to the controller 112 for the bi-directional communication ofthe instructions, data, and signals therebetween.

In the depicted example, the controller 112 is in communication with theuser input device 101 (and optionally with the control button 117 ifpresent) via a user input signal line 132, in communication with the airblower 108, and in communication with the junction valve 110. In someexamples, the controller 112 can also be in communication with themixing valve 122. In some examples, the controller 112 is also connectedto a power source 134. In some examples, the power source can be ACpower. In other examples, the power source 134 can be DC power, such asa battery.

The user input signal line 132 is configured to carry a signalrepresentative of a user input received at the user input device 101. Insome examples, the user input can be at least one of a touch, a press, agesture, a voice command, or the like. Upon receipt of the user input,the controller 112 operates the junction valve 110 to select which ofthe two fluids, either water or air, is delivered to the junction valveoutlet 130 based on the user input received. In some examples, only asingle fluid is delivered to the junction valve outlet 130 to bedispensed from the faucet outlet 104. In other examples, a mix of fluids(i.e., aerated water) is delivered to the faucet outlet 104.

In the example where the controller 112 receives a user input at theuser input device 101 and/or control button 117 which is representativethat a water stream is desired at the faucet outlet 104, the controller112 communicates with the junction valve 110 (and also the mixing valve122, in some examples) to operate the junction valve 110 to allow waterto flow from the first inlet 124 to the junction valve outlet 130 andinto the faucet outlet 104.

In the example where the controller 112 receives a user input at theuser input device 101 or control button 117 which indicates that an airstream is desired at the faucet outlet 104, the controller 112communicates with the air blower 108 to provide an air stream to thesecond inlet 126 of the junction valve 110. In some examples, such asignal may trigger the air blower 108 to power on. In other examples,such as in the example where the air blower 108 is a compressor, asignal from the controller 112 may trigger a valve (not shown) torelease compressed air from a holding tank (not shown).

In the embodiment shown, a single faucet outlet 104 and associatedconduit through the faucet body 102 are used for output of water and airstreams. Utilizing a singular faucet outlet 104 for both the waterstream and the air stream allows the faucet 100 to have a more compactdesign, simplifies the plumbed internals of the faucet, and allows forretrofitting existing faucets. In alternative embodiments (and inparticular in association with full faucet replacement installations),two separate conduits may be provided within the faucet body 102 to thefaucet outlet 104, for separate, selective output of water or air, orconcurrent use of both water and air streams.

FIG. 2 depicts another example of the present disclosure. A faucet 200is shown. In the example shown, the faucet 200 is an auxiliary faucet,such as a side spraying faucet. The faucet 200 can be positionedadjacent a traditional faucet at a sink. The faucet 200 can be apull-out side spraying faucet to allow maneuverability. In someexamples, the faucet 200 can have a faucet body 202 that issubstantially smaller than a traditional faucet adjacent thereto.

The faucet 200 is substantially similar to the faucet 100, in that thefaucet 200 includes the faucet body 202, and a faucet outlet 204. Thefaucet 200 is also shown to be connected to a water source 206 and anair blower 208. The faucet 200 further includes a junction valve 210 anda controller 212. The faucet 200 is mountable at a counter and operableso that, upon receipt of a user input received at a user input device201 (or some combination of user input device 201 and control button203, analogous to the discussion above regarding user input device 101and control button 117) and sensed by the controller 212, the controller212 controls the operation of the junction valve 210 to provide either awater stream from the water source 206 or an air stream from the airblower 208 to the faucet outlet 204. The controller 212 and air blower208 may be powered from a power source 234.

In some embodiments, the faucet 200 is not connected to the water source206 and is instead only connected to the air blower 208 to provide onlyan air stream upon receipt of a user input. In such an example, anon/off valve can be used in place of the junction valve 210.

As seen in FIG. 3, in an example alternative embodiment of a faucetconfiguration 300, as compared to the faucet 200 seen in FIG. 2, thewater source 206 may be directly connected to the junction valve 210 ata first inlet 224, rather than being first connected to the faucet 200.Since, in this context, a pull-out hand sprayer may not have a mixingvalve, there may not need to be a separate control or reason to routethe water source through the faucet 200 prior to the junction valve 210.In this context, optionally, the water source 206 may correspond to anoutput connection from a mixing valve of an accompanying main faucet,such that controls over volume and temperature would be managed prior towater arriving at the first inlet 224 of the mixing valve.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimsattached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize variousmodifications and changes that may be made without following the exampleembodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, andwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A faucet comprising: a faucet body including afaucet outlet for dispensing at least one of a water stream and an airstream; an air blower having an air blower outlet; a junction valveincluding: a first inlet connected to a water source; a second inletconnected to the air blower outlet; a junction valve outlet connected tothe faucet outlet; and a controller connected to the junction valve,wherein the controller is configured to control the junction valve sothat at least one of the air stream or the water stream is provided fromthe junction valve outlet to the faucet outlet based on a user input. 2.The faucet of claim 1, wherein the air blower is a compressor.
 3. Thefaucet of claim 1, wherein the user input is received at a user inputdevice on the faucet body.
 4. The faucet of claim 3, wherein the userinput device is a button.
 5. The faucet of claim 4, further comprising asecond input device, the second input device comprising a controlbutton.
 6. The faucet of claim 1, further comprising a mixing valvepositioned in communication with the water source, wherein the watersource passes through the mixing valve prior to entering the junctionvalve via the first inlet.
 7. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the faucetoutlet can only dispense a single fluid, either the water stream or theair stream, at a time.
 8. The faucet of claim 1, comprising a singleconduit extending between the junction valve outlet and the faucetoutlet.
 9. The faucet of claim 1, comprising a plurality of conduitsextending between the junction valve outlet and the faucet outletallowing concurrent output of an air stream and a water stream.
 10. Thefaucet of claim 1, wherein the air blower includes a heater element. 11.The faucet of claim 1, wherein the faucet body comprises one of aprimary faucet or a pull-out side-spraying faucet.
 12. A method ofoperating a faucet, the method comprising: receiving a user input at auser input device; operating a junction valve having an output in fluidcommunication with a faucet outlet of a faucet, a first inlet incommunication with a water source and a second inlet in communicationwith an air source, so that at least one of a water stream from thefirst inlet of the junction valve or an air stream from the second inletof the junction valve is provided to the junction valve outlet based onthe user input received at the user input device; and delivering fluidfrom the junction valve outlet to the faucet outlet.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein operating the junction valve comprises actuating thejunction valve via a controller communicatively connected to the userinput device.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein delivering fluid fromthe junction valve outlet to the faucet outlet comprises delivering oneof a water stream or an air stream at the faucet outlet.
 15. The methodof claim 14, further comprising receiving a second user input at theuser input device, the second user input toggling the junction valve toselect a different fluid from the fluid delivered from the junctionvalve outlet to the faucet outlet for subsequent delivery from thejunction valve outlet to the faucet outlet.
 16. A retrofit kit for afaucet, the retrofit kit comprising: an air blower having an air bloweroutlet; a junction valve including: a first inlet adapted to befluidically connected to a water source; a second inlet adapted to befluidically connected to the air blower outlet; and a junction valveoutlet fluidically connectable to a faucet outlet via a single conduitthrough a faucet body of the faucet; and a controller configured tocontrol the junction valve so that at least one of the air stream or thewater stream is provided from the junction valve outlet to the faucetoutlet via the single conduit based on a user input received by thecontroller.
 17. The retrofit kit of claim 16, wherein the air blowercomprises a compressor.
 18. The retrofit kit of claim 16, furthercomprising a signal line electrically connectable between a user inputdevice of the faucet and the controller, the controller being configuredto receive a signal representative of the user input via the signalline.
 19. The retrofit kit of claim 16, wherein the first inlet isadapted to be connected to an output of a mixing valve of the faucet.20. The retrofit kit of claim 16, wherein the controller is configuredto control the junction valve such that the junction valve outlet canonly dispense a single fluid, either the water stream or the air stream,at a time.